Mark Reid (l) as Lincoln and Aaron Bell as Booth star in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Suzan-Lori Parks, “Top Dog/Underdog.”

Dramatic Play "Top Dog/Underdog Rescheduled for Nov. 13

Posted: November 6, 2009

Delaware State University will present a drama of sibling rivalry in the play production “Top Dog/Underdog” in two rescheduled performances at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. both on Friday, Nov. 13 in the Education and Humanities Theatre.

The Nov. 13 performances is a rescheduled date, as the original October dates had to be postponed due to actor illness. Both Nov. 13 plays are free and open to the public.

The two-actor production is based on the magnus opus work written by playwright Suzan-Lori Parks. The 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning play tells to story of the adult lives of two brothers, Lincoln and Booth, as they deal with women issues, work, poverty, gambling, racism and their dysfunctional upbringing.

Directed by S. Brown, the play features two DSU students – Mark Reid as Lincoln and Aaron Bell as Booth.

“Some people will relate this sibling rivalry to the Biblical story of Cain and Abel or of Esau and Jacob,” said Ms. Brown. “It is the story of two brothers who search for their own identity while trying to escape the ghosts of their pasts.”

The director said social justice is a strong theme of the production. “It asks the question, don’t we hear our brother and sister’s blood crying out from the ground?” Ms. Brown said. “How many times do we walk by someone that’s hurting and turn a blind eye.”

The play has strong adult language and is therefore not considered a family play.